Geelong

[jeemak]

I've been considering the mollycoddling these arseholes have benefited from given recent events where the abuse of women or women caring for and guiding people with disabilities fits in with any future publication of player misdemeanours, police investigations or custodial sentences relating to rape and sexual assault - should these things ever be relevant.

Should they become relevant, which they may or may not, how will the AFL's response to the coach's bringing to tears of a junior female staffer who guides people with disabilities and the repeat abuse towards a female photographer by their prized recruit be reported? Will these instances all come together as a damning indictment of a spoiled club that doesn't seem to receive scrutiny for the poor behaviour of its players (let's also not forget the allegation of female assault against Paul Chapman post the 2010 Preliminary Final), or will they just be brushed aside?

For a long time there's been rumours of horrible behaviour by Geelong players towards women, basically for as long as I've been alive. If we consider the above, their rumoured history, and the horrible Ablett situation which is absolutely on record, is Geelong the grimiest club in the league?

Someone from within the media should pick this up if any of the hypothetical elements come to fruition. I don't think the AFL can afford to have a club with personnel and a culture so against respect and responsibility running riot.

[Bornadog]

According to AndrewnDillion, there has been a long running investigation into Geelongs third party payments and the report will be released soon.

We can only hope it is bad for Geelong

[Mitcha]

Nah, nothing in it just par for the course with this mob. Untouchable for anything. Just watch them win the flag and add Curnow, Worpel and Marshall to their ever creative salary cap and ensuring they can still offer Butters a shipload at the end of next year. Had a gut full of their smugness.

[azabob]

According to AndrewnDillion, there has been a long running investigation into Geelongs third party payments and the report will be released soon.

We can only hope it is bad for Geelong

Funnily enough BAD that is why this thread was created.

[Bornadog]

Funnily enough BAD that is why this thread was created.

I just looked back - gee taken so long, but AFL will say nothing to see here

[The Bulldogs Bite]

The report will find taxpayers need to chip in a little more to their pissant stadium.

[hujsh]

The report will find taxpayers need to chip in a little more to their pissant stadium.

There's still so much work to be done. But we can't make it a proper oval.

[Grantysghost]

According to AndrewnDillion, there has been a long running investigation into Geelongs third party payments and the report will be released soon.

We can only hope it is bad for Geelong

I think it will probably end up that they haven't spent enough and need a fresh cash injection.

[jeemak]

I think it will probably end up that they haven't spent enough and need a fresh cash injection.

Mate, 100% they'll be found to have spent dangerously low on their soft cap and salary cap, to the point where they'll need special dispensation to go on a trading bonanza this trading period just to catch up!

The media will be forced to apologise for covertly recording Bailey Smith at an open training session, which Chris Scott said happened last week and is the reason Bailey Smith got caught saying horrible things to women at open training sessions.......which is the entire point of it all.

Ambulance Victoria is completely ****ed, wankers collecting Stengle from a nightclub and offering first aid and taking him to hospital to help him get a few hours of smashing it in before his next recovery session.

And there'll definitely be nothing about rapists. Under no circumstance will there be anything about rapists.

[GVGjr]

What’s next for Geelong in the trade and free agency period after grand final thrashing
Geelong doesn’t have many weaknesses, but some were badly exposed on grand final day. Now attention turns to plugging those few holes. Can they get all their targets through the door?

Geelong had hoped to establish its dominance as footy’s greatest team this century then get to work in the trade period to leave its rivals even further in the dust.
Now after a disastrous Grand Final flareout that badly exposed some of its very few failings, Geelong might need to dominate the trade period just to bridge the gap with rampant Brisbane.
Once Chris Scott ends his period of deep grieving and introspection he will realise this Geelong side still won 17 home-and-away games, dominated two finals by 30 and 38 points and is going nowhere next season.
But a Brisbane side with half a dozen season-ending injuries and eight kids under 22 still defeated a Geelong side with only Tom Stewart out of its very best team and eleven 30-year-olds on its list.

On Grand Final day when the Cats needed their best they gave a whimper.
With Patrick Dangerfield impotent forward against Brandon Starcevich and not recording a single clearance the Cats needed everything from their midfield stars.
Instead Max Holmes torched the ball with five outright clangers, Bailey Smith’s disposals did not hurt and none of midfielders Tom Atkins, Jack Bowes, Gryan Miers, Oisin Mullin (five disposals) or Jhye Clarke had an impact.

It is why the Cats will be thrilled to bring in local boy James Worpel to add midfield depth, stoppage power and just overall hardness to a midfield that endured very few injuries this year.
He might not be an A-grader but he finished fourth in last year’s Hawthorn best-and-fairest, still averaged 4.8 clearances and five tackles this year and at only 26 is in the perfect age demographic.
In a year when the game has been all about ball movement, Brisbane’s 52-37 stoppage advantage showed once again where finals are usually won.
So Worpel cannot get to Geelong quickly enough.
One terrible passage of play summed up why Geelong needs to get moving this trade period and ponder some very big decisions.

Dangerfield outmarked opponent Starcevich then after a one-two with his Cats teammate looked up the field to see Shannon Neale streaming back towards goal 80 metres away.
Dangerfield booted the ball out on the full.
For all of his preliminary final brilliance Dangerfield turns 36 next April and cannot be expected to play back-to-back finals dragging this side over the line.

The Cats had hoped adrenaline might play its part to help his sore body but to no avail.
But Neale’s failure to hit up at the ball carrier also capped a second game in three weeks where he was absolutely annihilated by Harris Andrews.
Better players than him will be beaten by Andrews.

But in two finals match-ups he won only 11 disposals, took only one contested mark, didn’t have a direct score assist and had only four effective kicks on Andrews.
Three of those touches came from free kicks – as did his goal – and with Cameron injured he didn’t have a second half disposal.
It took his mentor Tom Hawkins five seasons to become the star who would dominate the 2011 Grand Final.

So a Geelong list management group already considering what it would take to bring in Charlie Curnow won’t give up on Neale.

Charlie Curnow. Picture: Getty Images
But with Cameron turning 33 in April and Dangerfield having only a handful of years left how much would the Cats give up to add Curnow to their list?

St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall continues to be a player of significant interest at Geelong but the Saints current position is that they won’t trade him.

The Saints would give up pick 7 for Gold Coast’s Sam Flanders but also have GWS defender Leek Aleer to acquire via the trade period and want to draft NGA pick Kye Fincher this November so it remains to be seen if they will need to move Marshall on.

He would secure them the Cats’ first round pick – currently pick 17 – and give St Kilda some cap relief as it brings in $3m of new talent as well as hands Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera football’s first $2m a year deal.

Rowan Marshall. Picture: Michael Klein
The problem for Geelong is that securing Curnow will at best be devilishly difficult and potentially impossible.
Neale and his management have been told he’s not being traded.
Carlton’s view is that even if Neale was on the table along with pick 17 it’s nowhere near enough for a generational dual Coleman Medallist they believe will be at Carlton next year.
The September Club scuttlebutt from good sources on Saturday night remained that Sydney was Curnow’s best possible chance to satisfy the Blues on a deal.

So a Geelong side that has many brilliant players but not many who suit the Blues needs would be hard pressed to get a deal done on Curnow.
The silver lining of new draft rule tweaks is that the Cats believe their draft pick will only be pushed back a handful of spots given clubs who need to match NGA and academy bids will have to give up their early picks, not match those bids then retain more early selections.
But in a horrible draft pick 17 – likely still pick 20 or later come draft night – holds almost no appeal for Carlton given it would be swallowed up by a bid for father-son Harry Dean and NGA kid Jack Ison.

Carlton will secure compensation picks for Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni so will likely have enough draft capital for that pair but its default position is that Curnow is turning up to training on the first day of pre-season as a Carlton player.

Geelong is going nowhere – Ollie Dempsey is 22, Mitch Knevitt is 22 and will get more chances, Holmes is only just 23, Neale is only a baby in football terms at 23, Smith is 24, Oisin Mullin is 25 and can become so much more than a tagger.

Yet Brisbane exposed their faults on Grand Final day in a team that is yet to reach its potential.
Geelong built a dynasty on Hawkins, Gary Ablett and Joel Selwood, then Dangerfield and Cameron arrived to help secure the 2022 flag. More Coverage

‘It’s a ruthless game’: What Scott told shattered Cats players
Cameron in hospital as Baz, Cats front up after grand final flop
Neither can be relied upon to spearhead the next premiership charge past the 2026 season given their advancing football years, even considering Cameron’s incredible 88 goals this year.

Geelong is ruthless, shrewd and aggressive when it comes to the trade space.
Landing Curnow would prove it is all those things and more but it might take trading an A grader or bruising some egos of players who believed they were required to do so in the coming weeks.

[EasternWest]

"Bailey Smith's disposals did not hurt".

Good to see the love fest from the media continue. Any integrity in the report and it would have said "Bailey Smith looked afraid and was almost worst on ground, despite still racking up possessions".

[Axe Man]

They're not even trying to hide it anymore!

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[Sedat]

"Bailey Smith's disposals did not hurt".

Good to see the love fest from the media continue. Any integrity in the report and it would have said "Bailey Smith looked afraid and was almost worst on ground, despite still racking up possessions".

One of his (many) shit kicks sure as hell hurt Jeremy Cameron. Couldn't even hit Danger on the lead with a simple spot-up from 15m away.

Another underrated moment from the 2025 GF.

[Sedat]

They're not even trying to hide it anymore!

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As an aside, I'm not sure there is anything more farken boring in the entire world than the annual Geelong "who are they impersonating" Mad Monday wankfest stories. The Richard Goyder replacement in-fighting at the AFEL commission stories come awfully close, but for sheer unadulterated tedium, nothing tops this.

[Stevo]

They're not even trying to hide it anymore!

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It's good that they can laugh about it but I wonder if the AFL see's the funny side of the perception of being paid from outside of the cap.